Two local women are supporting single parents across the Central Coast this holiday season. The event, Single-Parent Christmas Giveback, was created four years ago and provides Christmas to local families.
"It's the time of year that you want to give all to your kids," said Natalie Davis, one of the event's co-founders.
Davis and Kisa Maxwell both have experience as single parents and say they remember how difficult the holidays were.
"How hard it was for us to just even pay and afford a Christmas tree, or decorations, much less actual Christmas presents," said co-founder Kisa Maxwell.
That's why they started the event, collecting gifts for single parents nominated by the community.
Nominations are accepted starting in November, and everything is delivered on Dec. 12.
Davis and Maxwell say that so far, they've been able to help all of the nominated families.
"In the last four years, including this year, we've supported 93 children and 40 single parents," said Maxwell.
This year, they are supporting a total of eight single parents and 14 children.
They say it’s all done anonymously, and they coordinate with the parents to make sure the children have no idea it's happening.
"We are like the elves, and they get to be Santa," said Maxwell. "They get to be the parents that are gifting these items to their children. We just want to be the facilitators for that experience and the joy for them on Christmas."
Parents submit wish lists, and through monetary donations and Amazon wishlist purchases from the community, they make it happen.
Davis and Maxwell say their kids even help with the project.
"My 14-year-old son has been a huge help with this project all four years," said Davis. "He is in there with me and the Excel spreadsheets. He's helping me pack all the bags. He's just been wonderful. It's so good to teach them at a young age how important it is to give back to others."
"I think they're proud, especially my daughter, because she saw the struggle firsthand because she was a little older and she saw how difficult it was," said Maxwell.
Davis and Maxwell hope this program gives single parents hope.
"The takeaway I would want is that these moms can truly know and believe that things will get better, and things always do," said Davis.
"This community is behind you and they want to help you," said Maxwell. "And they want to rally and support you, and just help to get that next level and kind of just get through this period of time and this period of hardship."
Davis adds that some of the former recipients of the program have even come back to donate.
If you want to donate, you still can.
